Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
East Side
When you have reached the last cave on the west side, cross the bridge and
walk back north along the east side. The lovely
Thousand Arm and Thou-
sand Eye Guanyin
( Qianshou Qianyan Guanyin Kan) in Cave 2132 is a
splendid bas-relief dating to the Tang dynasty, revealing the Goddess of Mercy
framed in a huge fan of carved hands, each sporting an eye. Further is the
large
Reading Sutra Cave
( Kan Jing Sidong), with a carved lotus on its ceil-
ing and 29
luohan (or arhats - noble ones who have achieved enlightenment)
around the base of the walls.
White Horse Temple
Although its original structures have largely been replaced and it is likely older
temples have vanished, this active
monastery
( Baima Si; admission ¥50;
7am-6pm)
is regarded as the first surviving Buddhist temple erected on
Chinese soil, originally dating from the 1st century AD.
When two Han-dynasty court emissaries went in search of Buddhist scrip-
tures, they encountered two Indian monks in Afghanistan; the monks returned
to Luoyang on two white horses carrying Buddhist Sutras and statues. The im-
pressed emperor built the temple to house the monks; it is also their resting
place.
In the
Hall of the Heavenly Kings
, Milefo laughs from within an intricately
carved cabinet featuring more than 50 dragons writhing across the structure.
The standout
Qiyun Pagoda
( Qiyun Ta), an ancient 12-tiered brick tower, is a
pleasant five-minute walk through a garden and across a bridge.
The temple is 13km east of Luoyang, around 40 minutes away on bus 56
from the Xiguan stop. Bus 58 runs from Zhongzhou Donglu in the old town
also runs here.
PINGYAO
0354 / POP 450,000
China's best-preserved ancient walled town, Pingyao is fantastic. This is the
China of your dreams: red-lantern- hung lanes set against night-time silhou-
